In a way, a drill to test the 9-1-1 call center is, well, like any other day at the 9-1-1 call center. Handling emergency calls from people in desperate situations is kind of what they do every day, noted Todd DeWeese, a supervisor for the bureau of emergency communications.

But that's only one of the scenarios being acted out today at the Portland Emergency Coordination Center in Southeast Portland. The mayor was meeting with some of his department heads to discuss whether to upgrade from the "shelter in place" advisory to citizens and move to partial evacuation. He watched news coverage from the fake media channel, Virtual News Network, as it interviewed Multnomah County Commission Chairman Ted Wheeler.

Mayor Potter looks up at a "broadcast" of an interview with Ted Wheeler.

Upstairs, about 70 city workers from the transportation, fire, police, environmental services, emergency management and other departments were working on various operations, such as mapping the extent of the radioactive cloud over Portland. Here's a picture of the map they came up with.

A map on the left shows the probable cloud of radioactive material over Portland.

All the while, bulletin information about bridge openings, investigation updates and other information scrolled on a screen, as the "Virtual News Network" continued its coverage of the events.

Information scrolls down a screen regularly to keep workers updated.

The workers are on 12-hour shifts, said Portland Office of Emergency Management director Carmen Merlo. They are staffing the office 24 hours a day and will continue to do so through Thursday afternoon, and possibly later, she said.